Seattle Hotel Fined for Asbestos Exposure of Workers

The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) determined that the owner of the Seattle Pacific Hotel willfully exposed construction workers on multiple occasions to asbestos hazards during hotel remodeling.

The owner, identified as Raj Nariya, was found to have knowingly exposed untrained workers to asbestos during a renovation of the hotel lobby. Following an investigation of the work site, L&I discovered that these workers were neither trained nor certified to safely perform the removal of asbestos.

More to the point, the owner had apparently been informed by a certified asbestos-abatement contractor about the presence of asbestos in the ceiling, but instead of using that contractor, he opted to hire untrained workers unfamiliar with the dangers of asbestos.

The violations included:

failing to provide respiratory protection; leaving asbestos;

leaving asbestos debris on site;

not taking a pre-removal air sample before removing the asbestos materials.